Labour Lens

Montblanc

Harm on record

Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.

Jewellery & watches

Partly verified: what this means

Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources

Richemont's brand of fountain pens, watches and leather goods.

In 2022, migrant workers at a Florence-area workshop making Montblanc's leather bags worked 12-hour days, six days a week, on part-time contracts.

Also worth knowing

Montblanc has only partly put this right.

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Why it's graded Harm on record

  • Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
  • Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
  • Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: unpaid or underpaid wages, last recorded in 2022.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 2 of 6

  • Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
  • Met: Respects worker rights
  • Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
  • Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
  • Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
  • Not met: Conflict-free: diamonds, gems and gold traced to the mine, lab-grown, recycled or Fairmined (the Kimberley Process alone isn't enough)

Red flags 1

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

Montblanc says which countries it makes its products in, but doesn't name the factories.

Where it's made, and conditions there
CountryWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
GermanyStrong protectionsAbout a living wageLow
SwitzerlandRegular violationsAbout a living wageLow
ItalyStrong protectionsClose to a living wageLow

Evidence

What we found

  • Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: gold and gemstone mining are linked to child labour, forced labour and mercury poisoning.
  • Responsible Jewellery Council certified: Industry code for jewellery businesses covering human rights and responsible sourcing. Its Chain of Custody standard traces materials; the basic certification does not. Source
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Uses high-risk raw materials such as tanned leather, mica or artisanal gold.
  • It is Responsible Jewellery Council certified, but its stones and gold aren't traced to the mine. The Kimberley Process only covers diamonds that fund rebel wars, not abuses by governments or forced labour.

Research notes Montblanc makes its pens in Hamburg, Germany, and its watches at Le Locle and Villeret in Switzerland; its leather goods are made in the Florence area of Italy, partly by outside workshops contracted through Pelletteria Richemont Firenze. No shares by country are disclosed. Montblanc Simplo GmbH has been an RJC member since 2007 with Code of Practices certification to April 2027 but no Chain of Custody certification. Richemont runs risk-based SMETA audits, but Montblanc publishes no supplier list, audit results or living wage commitment, and a 2024 investigation found long hours at a leather supplier.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
Australian Modern Slavery RegisterListedRichemont Australia Pty Ltd, which sells Montblanc in Australia, lodged a modern slavery statement for FY25 reporting no cases. View
Business & Human Rights Resource CentreListedRecords the Z Production labour dispute and the 2025 Florence court case brought by former workers against Pelletteria Richemont Firenze. View

Confirmed issues 1

Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted

Last recordedWhat happenedMade amends?
2022Migrant workers at Z Production, a Florence-area workshop making Montblanc leather bags, worked about 12 hours a day, six days a week on part-time contracts until 2022 (Reuters, Public Eye, 2024). Source · search the archivePartlyMontblanc said Z Production failed its supplier code and ended the contract in 2023; the unionised workers were dismissed in 2024 and are suing Richemont. No remedy reported.

Unconfirmed reports

Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.

  • Richemont filed defamation and coercion complaints against officials of the SUDD Cobas union that organised the Z Production workers; the complaints were pending in 2025 (Public Eye, 2025). Source
  • Six former Z Production workers are suing Pelletteria Richemont Firenze in the Florence labour court, arguing they were in effect its employees and were unfairly dismissed; the case opened in July 2025 (Clean Clothes Campaign, 2025). Source

Sources and actions

Sources 7

Show all 7 sources
  1. RJC member page - Montblanc Simplo GmbH · search the archive · RJC member since July 2007; COP certified 13 Apr 2024 to 13 Apr 2027; no Chain of Custody certification listed.
  2. Labour dispute at Montblanc: 'We're not disposable goods' (Public Eye) · search the archive · Over 70-hour weeks on part-time contracts 2019-2022; contract ended 2023; workers dismissed Oct 2024; defamation complaints.
  3. Here is how Montblanc makes its famous pens (Executive Traveller) · search the archive · Montblanc pens are made at its Hamburg factory.
  4. How migrant workers suffered to craft the 'Made in Italy' label (Reuters via Business Recorder, 2024) · search the archive · Z Production workers describe 12-hour days, six days a week; Montblanc says audits found the contractor breached its code.

Published by Montblanc or its owner

  1. Montblanc - Craftsmanship · search the archive · Watches made at Montblanc Montre in Le Locle and Montblanc Villeret; leather goods made in Florence.
  2. Richemont Australia Pty Ltd - Modern Slavery Statement FY25 · search the archive · Covers JLC, Panerai, Piaget, Montblanc; gold, diamonds, gemstones, leather and watch parts key risks; SMETA audits; no cases in FY25.
  3. Montblanc opens its flagship boutique in Sydney (Richemont) · search the archive · Montblanc runs its own flagship boutique in Sydney.

Company details

Owned by
Richemont
Headquarters
Germany
Last researched
2 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is Montblanc ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/montblanc, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means

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